Horsham Info

Horsham, Australia Overview

Horsham, city, west-central Victoria, Australia, on the Wimmera River. Proclaimed successively a borough (1882), a town (1932), and a city (1949), Horsham was named after the West Sussex hometown of James Darlot, its first settler (1841). Connected by rail to Melbourne, 180 mi (290 km) to the southeast, it lies at the intersection of the Western (Melbourne–Adelaide), Wimmera, and Henty (Mildura–Portland) highways. The city is an important stock-selling centre in an irrigated area of fruit, vegetable, and cereal farming. Its agriculturally based industries are augmented by textile mills, foundries, and plaster and brick works. Horsham is the site of Longerenong College (1889), which emphasizes agriculture research, the Victorian Wheat Research Institute (1968), Wimmera Base Hospital, the Horsham Regional Art Gallery, and the noted Horsham Botanic Gardens. Pop. (2001) urban centre, 12,591.

Must See Places in Horsham, Australia

Horsham, Australia History

Horsham was surveyed and settled in the late 1840s, the Post Office opening on 1 July 1848. The first settlers were James Monckton Darlot and Charles Carter, who immigrated to Australia.

The main railway from Melbourne reached Horsham in 1879 and was later extended to Adelaide, while a branch line west to Carpolac was started in 1887 and closed in 1988.The Horsham Borough Council and the Shire of Wimmera operated the McKenzie Creek Tramway from the town to a stone quarry, some 8 kilometres (5 mi) to the south. The horse tramway opened in 1885 and ceased operating in 1927. Special picnic trains operated from time to time conveying residents in open wagons.